Building wall



April 21, 1925. 1,534,454 J. P. LEWIS BUILDING WALL Filed Nov. 5. 1923 Fig. 7

- INVEI V TO JAMES P LEW/S,

' Ills ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 21, 1925.

BUILDING WALL.

Application filed November 5, 1923. Serial No. 672,930.

To all wlaom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES P. Lnwrs, a citizen of the United States, residing at. Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in a BuildingVVall, of which the following is a specification and which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. V

My'invention relates to improvements in building walls of the type wherein artificial stones areemployed as the wall units, and the particular objects of my invention are to simplify the unit, itself and the construction of'walls with such units, so that build- 1 ing walls may be erected by persons unposition.

same material I The block may be of form and dimensions skilled in masonry which will be equal in appearanceand substantiability with walls erected by skilled artisans using other materials,'and also, a wall which may be of hollow formation to better insulateagainst sound, heat and moisture.

Theabove and other desirable objects are realized in the building wall construction illustrated in the-accompanying drawings and wherein Figure 1 isa perspective view of my wall unit block, as usually made of concrete or term cotta,*and Figure 2 is an edge .view

of the bloc I a Figure?) shows a portionof a hollow wall constructed with my blocks, and Figures 4, 5, and 6 show optional corner blocks.

Figures 7, .8 and 9' show tie'rods or plates as used to tie the double or hollow form of double or hollow wall with the tie rods in Figure 11 isa similar view to that shown in Figure 10 but shows inaddition to the tie rods an optional tie slab formed of the of which theiwall blocks aremhde. By a more detailedreferenceto the drawings,i F.igure 1 shows a. block'l molded of concrete, terra cotta or similar material.

' to suit requirements, but I prefer to adopt" as a" standard an elongated rectangular form of about the general; proportions shown.

Entirely around the four edges ofthe block is a groove 2 which is preferably of an oval orhalf round section, and midway between the ends of the block is a transverse hole 3 corresponding jin' diameten to. the

width of, the groove 2, but in some instances 1 omit this central hole.

NT oFF1cE-.

, JAMES P. nnwrs, or OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

These notches are for the tie rods5 shown in Figures 7 8 and 9, used only when the blocks are laid in double rows for hollow wall construction.

i In building a wall with my blocks they I are placed edge on edge with the grooves aligning in the manner shown in Figure 3.

The blocksare assembled without any cement or mortar, and owing to the aligning of the grooves a round hole is formed be tween all abutting edges, both vertical as well as horizontal. Also, if the central hole I 3 is in the blocks it aligns with the joint of blocks in the tier below, as the blocks are laid in staggered relation, half length blocksbeing made to take care of the ends.

After laying a horizontal row of blocks, or possibly two rows, mortar is poured or forced into the open holes formed-by abut ting vertical edges of the blocks, and also into the upper ends of the holes 3. The mortar may be pushed down the holes .with a stick if desired, and readily finds its way along the horizontal grooves, forcing out the air through the interstices, and it forms a grill like mortar or cement structure throughout the assemblage, tying all the v I blocks together. wall. Figure 10 is a fragmentary view ofa This mortar or cement grill has a function unlike ordinary mortar between bricks or ening, a grill work of cement dowels as it were, preventing lateral shifting of the stones, for in my wall it forms upon hardblocks and also interlocking into the vertical grooves and holes thereby. preventing longi tudinal shifting.

As the blocks are molded perfectly true,. little or no cement mortar exudes from the seams, and the finished wall needs but slight cleaningof the mortar from any chipped seams to make a handsome appearance and may be left withoutother finish, though the inside is usuallyplastered directly on the surface of the blocks. g f i In building'a hollow or double wall with my blocks they are laid 'in spaced rows as shown in Figure 3 and each tier tied, across by dropping tie rods orplates 5 into the aligned notches as indicated in Figure The tie rods have the ends suitably notched and bent to engage upper and lower blocks within the grooves, a good way to bend them is illustrated in Figures 7; 8, and 9. Figure 7 being a plan, Figure 8 an elevation of Figure 7 and 9 an end view of Figure 8.

The split and oppositely curved ends 6 and 7 are adapted to fit within the grooves of the upper and lowerbl ocks to tie them together yet maintain a clear hole through the joint for the flow of the mortar as described.

Figure 10 is a cross section'of a portion of a wall at one of the tie plates and shows its position with curved ends in place in the grooves of 'the blocks showing the open passageway 8. The tie plates instead of being formed to engage all four blocks, could be the upper or lower longitudinal half of the device shown in Figure 7 or 8, and two 'could be dropped in each or adjacent notches, one directed upwardly and the other downwardly, to engage both blocks at each end, but I prefer the design which can not be placed in wrongly.

Figure 11 shows an optional slab tying block 9 having grooves along its sides near its edges to match the edge grooves of the regular blocks 1, and when these slabs are used I drop tight fitting rings 10 into the grooves in assembling the blocks for the purpose of tying them to the slabs.

To facilitate placing floor joists without weakening the wall I preferably make some blocks with a ledge or a thicker upper edge, so it will project from the wall as shown at 11 in Figure 3, to support the floor" joists, also, I sometimes cast small bosses 12 along the face of blocks in tier above to hold the joists vertical when placed upon the ledge. s

The bosses 12 may be variously spaced as indicated in the drawing, so as to accommodate any thickness of standard floor beams.

Various shaped corner blocks maybe used in connection with my side blocks to carry out my groove idea several being indicated in Figures 4, 5, and- 6. The one shown in Figure 4 being an L shaped block with a return corner 13 cast on it.

Figure, 5 shows a miter corner with a forty five degree tie plate 5 in place, and Figure 6 shows a special square corner block 14. All; these corner arrangements have a groove as explained to align with the next block,

My preferred corner is as shown in Figure 3, and wherein the side of the regular blocks are grooved as shown at 15 to take a block at fiight angles, and may have the edge 'groove also turned at right angles as shown any form, oval, square, or otherwise, and

any such concavity to the edge which will permit the mortar to be-placed after laying the blocks is intended to be covered in my claims in the use of the word groove. Also, when I say mortar in my claims it is intended to embrace any liquid or semiliquid cementing material adapted for the purpose. Having thus described my unique block and my special ,way of erecting them by.

flowing a binder through the joints after placing them in wall formation, I claim 1. A hollow wall comprising blocks having a groove extending around all of the edges, said blocks being laid in edge to edge relation in spaced rows with the grooves ofthe blocks in each rowaligning to form a mortar receiving enclosed passage, and

combined spacing and tying means extending between the rows engaging the inner walls of. the aligned grooves in adjacent blocks in both rows and being formed to preserve a free channel through the enclosed passage.

2. A building wall comprising rectangular blocks having each a groove on the edge and laidedge to edge with the grooves aligned to form a mortar receiving enclosed passage between contacting blocks, a device positioned in the passage engaging the inner walls of the aligned grooves in both blocks whereby they are held in alignment, and said device being formed to present a clear central opening so as to preserve a free channel through the passage.

3. For a hollow wall made of spaced rows of blocks each having a groove on its edge and laid with grooves aligning to form 1n each row an enclosed mortar receiving channel, a spacing and tying bar adapted to extend between the rows and having both ends doubly offset to engage the inner walls of the groove in two adjacent blocks in each row while preserving a clear central passage through each channel.

JAMES P. LEWIS. 

